The Demics | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Punk |
| Years active | 1977–1980 |
| Labels | Ready Huge Records (domestic) Other Peoples Music (international) |
The Demics were a Canadian punk rock band that formed in 1977 in London, Ontario.
Biography
Originally formed in London, Ontario in 1977, the band consisted of vocalist Keith Whittaker, guitarist Rob Brent, bassist Iain Atkinson-Staines and drummer J. D. Weatherstone. Through 1978, the band were rising stars in the Canadian punk scene. They recorded their debut EP[1] in the fall of that year, and subsequently moved to Toronto to be closer to the centre of the punk scene. The EP's single, "New York City" released on Ready Records, was the band's breakthrough hit on CFNY in 1979.
Brent left the band and went on to form the post punk/new wave band, "Mettle" as guitarist and synth player. Brent was replaced by Steve Koch in the Demics. The band released a self-titled full-length album in 1980, but subsequently broke up due to internal tensions.
In 1996, a new CD compiling both of the band's original albums titled New York City was released domestically on Huge Records.[2] Also that year, "New York City" was named the greatest Canadian song of all time in a reader poll by the music magazine Chart.
Vocalist Keith Whittaker died of cancer 16 July 1996.[3] Bullseye Records of Canada released singer Keith Whittaker's final recordings on a twelve-song CD called Drink To Me in August 2007.
Guitarist Rob Brent died of a heart condition 5 November 2014 at the age of 57.[4]
Discography
- 1979: Talk's Cheap
- 1980: Demics
- 1996: New York City
- 2007: Drink To Me by Keith Whittaker
See also
- Music of Canada
- Canadian punk rock
- List of bands from Canada
References
- ^ ""Talk's cheap" (sound recording) (By) Demics", Collectionscanada.gc.ca, Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada, 1979, OCLC 84098327, AMICUS No. 5026112, retrieved 13 February 2012
- ^ The Demics, "New York City", Worldcat.org, WorldCat, AMICUS No. 27139896, retrieved 13 February 2012
- ^ "The Demics Get Another Go". Chart. Toronto: Chart Communications. chartattack
.com. 30 June 2004. ISSN 1198-7235. Retrieved 13 February 2012. - ^ "Rob Brent, Demics & Mettle guitarist". James’ Brand New Blog. Archived from the original on 14 February 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
External links
- Keith Whittaker solo album at Bullseye Records
- Keith Whittaker at MySpace